By Donna Bowater and Sarah Rainey
Experts have warned that elderly patients are being discharged too early, putting their health at risk and increasing the likelihood of them being readmitted to hospital.
Telehealth has benefits for patients with long-term conditions but despite industry excitement there are still areas of concern, argues Jeremy Wyatt
The Whole System Demonstrators showed that, “if used correctly”, telehealth reduced death rates by 45%, NHS resource usage by 15-20% and tariff costs by 8%. With these striking results and the launch of the industry/NHS funded 3 Million Lives campaign, telehealth is steaming out of its backwater into the clinical mainstream.
Department of Health believes three million people could benefit from assistive technologies including telehealth and telecare
The Department of Health has said that over the next five years it will work with industry, the NHS, social care and professional organisations so that people with long term illness can benefit from assistive technologies such as telehealth and telecare.
This further commitment to telehealth and telecare follows the visit by Paul Burstow, the care minister, to Cornwall to see the technologies in use.
